Worship by the Book by Rev. Mark Ashton

“What is at stake is authenticity. . . . Sooner or later Christians tire of public meetings that are profoundly inauthentic, regardless of how well (or poorly) arranged, directed, performed. We long to meet, corporately, with the living and majestic God and to offer him the praise that is his due.”―D. A. Carson Worship is a hot topic, but the ways that Christians from different traditions view it vary greatly. What is worship? More important, what does it look like in action, both in our corporate gatherings and in our daily lives? These concerns―the blending of principle and practice―are what Worship by the Book addresses. Cutting through cultural clichés, D. A. Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes, and Timothy Keller explore, respectively: · Worship Under the Word · Following in Cranmer’s Footsteps · Free Church Worship: The Challenge of Freedom · Reformed Worship in the Global City “This is not a comprehensive theology of worship,” writes Carson. “Still less is it a sociological analysis of current trends or a minister’s manual chockfull of ‘how to’ instructions.” Rather, this book offers pastors, other congregational leaders, and seminary students a thought-provoking biblical theology of worship, followed by a look at how three very different traditions of churchmanship might move from this theological base to a better understanding of corporate worship. Running the gamut from biblical theology to historical assessment all the way to sample service sheets, Worship by the Book shows how local churches in diverse traditions can foster corporate worship that is God-honoring, Word-revering, heartfelt, and historically and culturally informed.

D. A. Carson (PhD, University of Cambridge) is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author or coauthor of over 50 books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winning book The Gagging of God and An Introduction to the New Testament. He is general editor of Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns and Worship by the Book. He has served as a pastor and is an active guest lecturer in church and academic settings around the world.
Kent Hughes was in pastoral ministry for 41 years, the last 27 as senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton. He earned his BA from Whittier College (history), an MDiv from Talbot Seminary and a DMin from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife, Barbara, have four children and 21 grandchildren. He retired from his pulpit ministry at College Church and was given the title Senior Pastor Emeritus in December 2006. He continues to be involved in training pastors biblical exposition and preaching.
Mark Ashton (MA, Oxford University; MA, Cambridge University) is vicar of the Round Church (Anglican) at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge, England.

Unrated Critic Reviews for Worship by the Book

The Gospel Coalition

Discerning Reader

Worship by the Book is an attempt by four men, D.A Carson, Mark Ashton, Kent Hughes and Timothy Keller, to unravel the meaning of worship as well as to suggest ways that corporate worship, done as the church gathers together, can be most meaningful and most faithful to Scripture.